My daughter has been working through some stuff. Nothing I want to share too publicly but as a parent there will always be challenges. As she grows older I realise you cannot shield or protect as you could in the younger years. I’ve been trying to convey through paint & marks the words I imagine she can’t un-hear and actions she cannot un-see… things she may never share with me because they are rightfully personal to her.

Collar suggests conformity and struggles of self expression.

Experiences we all process, making us who we are, the good and the bad all mashed up together. As a mother I hope she can get to grips with the questionable stuff and enjoy the good. This is one of the first times I’ve injected something quite so heart felt into my work and it does make you feel rather vulnerable.

I wonder if I will continue with this or retreat into something a little easier to handle mentally. I realise my past as a fashion illustrator shines through here and I like to undermine it with a dollop of reality. An interesting push and pull that is slightly addictive as a I rather hate the perfectionist in me. #antifashionillustration